Lane Position Detection Arrangement Using Radio Frequency Identification
A lane position detection system includes one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane, and an RFID reader positioned and oriented near the traffic lane to interrogate the one or more RFID tags. A vehicle can be detected in the traffic lane when the RFID reader fails to receive a response from at least one of the RFID tags.
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Most modern parking systems are partially or fully automated. For example, parking garages typically have entrance meters that allow a vehicle to obtain a ticket as the vehicle approaches the garage. Once the ticket is taken by the driver, the vehicle can enter the garage. Some systems also allow the driver to automatically pay a parking fee prior to leaving the garage.
As part of these automated systems, it is necessary to account for the total occupancy of the garage. For example, it is necessary to provide indicators when the garage is reaching capacity so that the number of vehicles that are allowed to enter the garage is controlled. Further, it can be important for revenue and accounting purposes to accurately account for the number of vehicles within the garage at given points in time.
One method of determining occupancy in a parking garage is detecting vehicles entering and exiting the garage. Existing systems use inductive loop sensors that are embedded in the pavement forming a traffic lane at parking garage entrances and exits, to detect a vehicle's presence when the vehicle is roughly overhead. During operation, a loop sensor generates an oscillating inductive field. When a vehicle (or other metal object) passes over an inductive loop sensor, the frequency of the inductive field changes; when that change is sufficiently large, it is assumed that the change is due to a vehicle passing overhead, and the vehicle is registered.
Loop sensors can be sensitive to environmental changes, such as extreme temperature changes or lightning conditions. Loop sensors can also suffer from cross-coupled frequencies between multiple sensors in a lane, or from adjoining lanes. Additionally, loop sensors can provide different results for vehicles with different ground clearances, and for vehicles of various sizes and materials. Additionally, the presence of rebar or other metals, such as conduit, underneath a loop can also affect loop readings.
For these and other reasons, improvements are desirable.
SUMMARYIn accordance with the following disclosure, the above and other issues are addressed by the following:
In one aspect, a lane position detection system includes one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane, and an RFID reader positioned and oriented near the traffic lane to interrogate the one or more RFID tags. A vehicle is detected in the traffic lane when the RFID reader fails to receive a response from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
In another aspect, a parking garage includes a traffic lane providing vehicular access to a plurality of parking spaces, one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along the traffic lane, and an RFID reader positioned and oriented near the traffic lane to interrogate the one or more RFID tags. The RFID reader detects presence of a vehicle when the RFID reader fails to receive a response from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
In yet another aspect, a method for detecting a vehicle in a traffic lane includes interrogating one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane, and determining that no vehicle is present when a response from each of the one or more RFID tags is received. The method further includes determining the presence of a vehicle when a response is not received from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the present disclosure.
In general, the present disclosure relates to a lane position detection system using radio frequency identification. Radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and tags are positioned along a traffic lane, such as an entrance/exit lane of a parking garage.
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown, one entrance traffic lane 104a is shown, as well as one exit traffic lane 104b (collectively referred to as “traffic lanes” 104). However, it is understood that, depending upon the configuration and capacity of the garage 100, additional entrance or exit lanes could be used as well.
Each of the traffic lanes 104 can be denoted by markings on pavement or barriers formed in the garage 100, including walls, medians, booths, or other structures. Optionally, and in the embodiment shown, the traffic lanes 104 include gates 106, used to regulate passage of motor vehicles into and out of the garage. In typical arrangements, the gates 106 are arranged to open and close, allowing one vehicle at a time to enter or exit the garage 100.
To detect vehicles (e.g., example vehicles 105 in the traffic lanes and within the garage 100) as they approach the gates, an RFID reader 108 is positioned and oriented toward the traffic lane 104. One or more RFID tags 110 are disposed along the traffic lane. The RFID tags 110 are, in the embodiment shown, placed in stationary positions in the lane 104 on an opposite side of the lane from the RFID reader 108.
For example, in certain embodiments (such as in
During operation an RFID reader 108 will interrogate each of the RFID tags 110 within range of that RFID reader, and will expect responses from each of those tags. This typically occurs many times per second. If no response is received from one or more of the RFID tags 110, it can be assumed that either the interrogation from the RFID reader 108 or the response from the RFID tag 110 has been blocked by an interfering object between the RFID reader and tag (e.g., a vehicle passing through the lane). In this way, vehicles in a traffic lane can be detected and counted as they enter and exit the parking garage 100.
By positioning RFID readers 108 and RFID tags 110 in the traffic lanes 104 of a garage, an estimate of the total occupancy can be made by tracking inbound and outbound traffic. In some examples, the RFID reader 110 reports the occupancy determinations to a processing system 112 of a central parking system. The processing system 160 includes one or more computing devices that are used to compute, display and record occupancy rates and vehicle characteristics, as described further below. Additional advantages of this arrangement are also described below.
In the embodiment shown, separate RFID readers 108 are shown for each traffic lane 104; however, it is understood that a single RFID reader 108 could be positioned and used to communicate with RFID tags in two different lanes. Hence, the second reader 108 is considered optional in the illustrated two traffic lane configuration. Additionally, separate processing systems 112 are illustrated as optionally associated with each RFID reader 108; however, in other embodiments, a single processing system 112 can be communicatively connected to multiple RFID readers, for example all of the RFID readers in a particular lane, or across more than one lane. Furthermore, although in the embodiment shown a large number of RFID tags 110 are illustrated, it is recognized that the parking garage and traffic lanes can include a lane position detection system that includes only one RFID tag per traffic lane. Other embodiments, including embodiments using a plurality of RFID tags in a variety of arrangements, are described below in connection with
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown, the traffic lane 200 includes a paved area 202 providing entry or exit access for a parking garage, such as the garage 10 of
In the embodiment shown, a plurality of RFID tags 210 are embedded in the paved area 202, and an RFID reader 212 is mounted overhead. The RFID tags 210 and RFID reader 212 are generally analogous to the tags 110 and reader 108 of
Comparing
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown, an RFID reader 212 is aligned with the RFID tags 210 and above the paved area 202. In various embodiments, the RFID reader 212 will be located sufficiently high to allow vehicles of varying heights to pass between the RFID reader 212 and the RFID tags 210. In some examples, the RFID reader 312 can be ten to twenty feet above the paved area 202 of the traffic lane 300.
In the embodiment shown, the RFID tag arrangement 304 and RFID reader 212 are located closer to a left side of the paved area 202, for example to ensure that relatively narrow vehicles (e.g., motorcycles or ultracompact cars) are detected when they approach the kiosk 204 or proximity reader 206. However, in alternative embodiments, the particular location of the line or RFID tags 210 can vary.
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown, each RFID tag arrangement 404a-c has an associated RFID reader 212. In the embodiment shown, the RFID tag readers are located at a position above and to the side of the lane, oriented downward diagonally toward the lane. A first RFID reader 212 is placed above and to the side of the paved area 202 opposite the kiosk 204 and proximity reader 206. A second RFID reader 212 is placed above and to the side of the paved area 202 across from the gate 208. A third RFID reader is placed above and to the side (either side) of the bypass entrance/exit lane 203, oriented toward tag arrangement 404c. In this embodiment, the RFID tag readers will typically be located sufficiently high above the lane to ensure that vehicles passing through the lane will block RF contact between the reader and the respective RFID tag arrangement 404a-c.
In the embodiment shown, each of the tag arrangements 404a-c are disposed as a two-dimensional array of RFID tags 210. These arrays can be any of a number of sizes. In the embodiment shown, the first RFID tag arrangement 404a is sufficiently long to extend through an area including the kiosk 204 and proximity reader 206, and sufficiently wide and positioned laterally close to the kiosk 204 and proximity reader 206 to capture two-wheel, four-wheel, or other types of vehicles. The second RFID tag arrangement 404b extends across the paved area 202, and from a location on an side of the gate from which vehicles will approach (i.e., the side of the gate toward the kiosk 204 and proximity reader 206), and starts at a distance far enough from the gate arm 209 of gate 208 to allow for interrogation, detection of a vehicle, and, if appropriate, actuation of the gate arm 209 to allow that vehicle to pass. The second RFID tag arrangement 404b also extends to the opposite side of the gate arm 209, thereby allowing the RFID reader 212 and associated second RFID tag arrangement 404b to detect when a vehicle has fully passed the gate, allowing it to close. The third RFID tag arrangement extends across the bypass entrance/exit lane 203 of the paved area 202, and can include any number of RFID tags 210 disposed along any length of the lane sufficient to detect a vehicle passing through that lane.
Comparing the tag arrangements 404a-c of
Referring now to
The traffic lane 500 includes a number of RFID tags 210 and RFID readers 212, arranged to form the RFID-based lane position detection system 502. In this embodiment, the traffic lane includes three RFID tag arrangements 504a-c, embedded in or mounted on the median area 205. In this embodiment, a first RFID tag arrangement 504a is embedded in or the median area in the vicinity of the kiosk 204, a second RFID tag arrangement 504b is embedded in the median area in the vicinity of the proximity reader 206, and a third RFID tag arrangement 504c is embedded in the median area in the vicinity of the gate 208.
In the embodiment shown, two RFID readers 212 are associated with the RFID tag arrangements 504a-c, with a first RFID reader 212 located approximately across the paved area 202 from a midpoint between the first and second RFID tag arrangements 504a-b, and a second RFID reader 212 located approximately across the paved area 202 from the gate 208. The first RFID reader 212 is positioned so that reader could detect a vehicle approaching either the kiosk 204 or proximity reader 206. In alternative embodiments, separate RFID readers could be used for each of the RFID tag arrangements 504a-b.
Comparing the arrangement of
Referring now to
RFID readers 212 are then positioned and oriented (step 704) to interrogate the positioned RFID tags 210. As discussed above, the numbering, positioning, and orientation of the RFID readers 212 will to some extent depend upon the layout and number of RFID tags selected, and is selected to ensure that vehicles pass between the RFID readers and tags such that interrupted interrogations (e.g., responses not received by the RFID readers) will denote the presence of a vehicle.
Once the RFID tags and readers are positioned along a traffic lane, the readers are activated, and interrogate the tags with which they are associated (step 606). Each reader receives associated responses (step 608) from the RFID tags, and determines the presence or absence of those tags (step 610). When absent tags are detected, the RFID readers (and optionally associated processing units, as illustrated in
Optionally, additional information about an overall parking garage can be computed as well (step 614). One example of additional information can include calculations of the overall occupancy or rates of entry/exit for a garage (e.g., based on the total number and timing of entering and exiting vehicles for all traffic lanes). A further example of additional information can include a generated digital representation of a vehicle in the lane based on the particular RFID tags 210 that respond to the RFID reader 212. For example, using the linear arrangement of RFID tags 210 illustrated in
Alternatively, a two-dimensional arrangement of RFID tags 210 could be used to detect both length and width of a vehicle. Furthermore, other conditions could be detected as well, based on changes in distances between two closely-positioned vehicles in a traffic lane, or changes in interrogation response patterns. For example, varying distances between two closely-positioned vehicles could indicate a tailgating condition, in which one vehicle closely follows a first vehicle to attempt to pass through an activated (e.g., raised) gate without payment, in an attempt to defraud the parking authority. Additionally, a particular interrogation response pattern could indicate a vehicle backing out of a lane to avoid payment. Other vehicle activities could be detected as well, based on calculations performed based on the results of interrogation by RFID readers 212 and subsequent vehicle presence determinations.
Referring now to
If the tags do not respond at operation 720, control is instead passed to operation 740. At operation 740, a determination is made regarding whether or not a threshold time period has been exceeded since the last tag response. For example, if a tag fails to respond within a given period of time (e.g., 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours etc.), an error status can be provided indicating that the tag could be malfunctioning. If the threshold is exceeded, control is passed to operation 760, and the error status is reported. If the threshold time period has not been exceeded, control is instead passed to operation 750, and the presence of a vehicle in the parking lane is reported, as well as optional additional information regarding the position of the vehicle based on the position of the tag or tags. Next, control is passed back to operation 710 for the next interrogation at the desired frequency.
Referring now to
The RFID tags of the present disclosure (e.g., RFID tags 110, 210) can be active or passive RFID tags. In some examples, the tags are passive IDentity MaX Pro Transponders manufactured by Sirit, Inc. of Toronto, Ontario. Other RFID tags can be used as well.
In example embodiments, the RFID readers of the present disclosure (e.g., RFID readers 108, 212) can be any of a number of RFID reader devices, such as the IDentity™ 4100 UHF Reader manufactured by Sirit, Inc. of Toronto, Ontario. Other RFID readers can be used as well.
Generally, consistent with embodiments of the disclosure, the RFID readers 108, 212 of the present disclosure can include one or more programmable circuits capable of executing program modules. Program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of the disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in various types of electrical circuits comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. Embodiments of the disclosure may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, aspects of the methods described herein can be practiced within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. A computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described, other embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media. Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the overall concept of the present disclosure.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of example embodiments of the present disclosure. Many embodiments of the disclosure can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A lane position detection system comprising:
- one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane;
- an RFID reader positioned and oriented near the traffic lane to interrogate the one or more RFID tags,
- wherein a vehicle is detected in the traffic lane when the RFID reader fails to receive a response from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader periodically interrogates the one or more RFID tags.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more RFID tags are embedded in pavement forming the traffic lane.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the RFID reader is positioned over the traffic lane.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more RFID tags are positioned alongside the traffic lane, and wherein the RFID reader is positioned along an opposite side of the traffic lane from the one or more RFID tags.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more RFID tags form a tag array including a plurality of RFID tags.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the tag array is a linear tag array oriented parallel to a direction of travel of traffic in the traffic lane.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic lane is an entry/exit lane of a parking garage.
9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to determine the presence of a vehicle based on responses received by the RFID reader.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein a vehicle positioned in the traffic lane blocks communication between the RFID reader and the at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
11. A parking garage comprising:
- a traffic lane providing vehicular access to a plurality of parking spaces;
- one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along the traffic lane;
- an RFID reader positioned and oriented near the traffic lane to interrogate the one or more RFID tags,
- wherein the RFID reader detects presence of a vehicle when the RFID reader fails to receive a response from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
12. The parking garage of claim 11, wherein the one or more RFID tags are embedded in pavement forming the traffic lane.
13. The parking garage of claim 11, wherein the traffic lane includes a gate, and wherein the one or more RFID tags are positioned near the gate.
14. The parking garage of claim 13, further comprising, upon detecting a vehicle, transmitting a signal to cause the gate to be actuated.
15. The parking garage of claim 11, wherein a vehicle positioned in the traffic lane blocks communication between the RFID reader and at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
16. A method for detecting a vehicle in a traffic lane, the method comprising:
- interrogating one or more RFID tags positioned at stationary locations along a traffic lane;
- determining that no vehicle is present when a response from each of the one or more RFID tags is received; and
- determining the presence of a vehicle when a response is not received from at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising embedding the one or more RFID tags into pavement forming the traffic lane.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a size of a vehicle present in the traffic lane based at least in part on the response not received from the at least one of the one or more RFID tags.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising distinguishing between two or more vehicles in the traffic lane based on spaces observed to be present between the two or more vehicles.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising constructing a digital representation of a vehicle present in the traffic lane.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 8, 2010
Publication Date: Apr 12, 2012
Applicant: FEDERAL SIGNAL CORPORATION (Oak Brook, IL)
Inventor: James M. Teske (Howell, MI)
Application Number: 12/900,684
International Classification: H04Q 5/22 (20060101);